Salvation, Praise, and Service

May 20, 2020 (Wednesday)

 

The next image is a crowd around the throne of God. "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” [Revelation 7:14 NIV] Notice there are distinctions: nation, tribe, people, and language (see Revelation 7:9). Not only are these distinctions maintained, but they are celebrated and honored. I think this demonstrates there is no generic, base, or correct form of Christian culture. As this crowd appears in unity before God, we see the effects of the curse of Babel reversed. One of my theological ideas is that salvation in Jesus is intended to heal the hurts from the curse of this diseased, dying, and decaying world. 

 

At this point we see three more anthems. Each details three things that belong to God.

 

In verse 10 we see “Salvation belongs to our God.” We tend to make two mistakes when we consider salvation. First is the idea that our salvation is strictly God’s arbitrary will (that God arbitrarily chooses based on ONLY His will who will be saved and who will be eternally lost). The thought is cooperation with God is either impossible or unnecessary; an affront to the sovereignty of God. The problem is there is no way to know for certain if one is saved. One accusation leveled against this theological line is that it co-opts the Greek Stoics’ concept of “fatalism.” In fact, much of Christian theology seems based on Greek philosophy.

 

The second line of reasoning is that salvation is somehow dependent on the individual and is attained or maintained by “works” (or faithfulness). This is connected to the concept of accrued merit. An extreme version of this slice of theology may lead some to believe if one sins then they become separated from God, “lose” their salvation, and must be saved again. (See Hebrews 6 and 10 for the impossibility of being “resaved.”) The difficulty with this line is it reduces salvation (and Christianity) to a formula to be followed and plunges us into humanism.

 

John Wesley proposed what he called the “double action” of salvation. God takes the initiative and provides grace. This grace is the cause of our salvation (based on Jesus’ sacrifice). God is not willing that any should perish (be eternally lost), so Jesus paid the price for our sin (which causes separation from God). When God’s grace wakes us up, we are given the ability to respond. This enters us into a right relationship with God. Lydia is an example of this dynamic. Acts 16:14c states, “…The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”  [NIV]

 

The “double action” comes from the idea that we “experience” our reaction (faith) to God’s grace (initiative and invitation) through relationship with God. The experience or relationship teaches us to know we are saved. As Wesley put it we have “assurance of salvation.” Thus, God takes the initiative to offer salvation. As humans, God allows us the privilege, to respond.

 

Salvation is God’s because of His authority, symbolized in the throne and His provision to save, symbolized in the Lamb. The next anthem (Revelation 7:12) demonstrates praise belongs to God. Throughout the book of Revelation, the response to God is praise and worship. 

The third anthem (Revelation 7:15) reveals service belongs to God. Service is a natural part of our salvation relationship: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” [Ephesians 2:10 ESV]. The people we see in heaven will never lack protection or physical need. Their tears will we wiped away (Revelation 7:17) This is the second reference to the “unhappy dead” who are in heaven. All these provisions are made by the “Lamb” who will shepherd his people.

 

Are you saved, washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you praising God? How are you serving God? These things are not just for some happy future. They are also for the hassled present.

 

I will see you next week. For those who have been getting a hard-copy of this devotional, there will be a make-up bonus.